


Danggeun Iji

by pok3d3x



Series: Chordae Tendineae [4]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Euroshipping, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Canon, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Romance, Romantic Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-19
Updated: 2016-06-12
Packaged: 2018-06-09 08:20:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 17,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6898240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pok3d3x/pseuds/pok3d3x
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>당근이지 (dang-geun i-ji) = It's a Carrot (It's obvious), a Korean play on words said when the answer is obvious.</p><p>Kaiba Seto is a brilliant man, but sometimes he needs a little help when it comes to standard human interaction. He's not the only one with rusty skills.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Simple Words

"Big brother," Mokuba called as he entered his brother's study. Knowing he had his attention, Mokuba continued. "Bakura didn't pick me up from school today. Anzu came and said he was sick."

Kaiba Seto looked up from his coding with a small frown.

"He _never_ misses Mandatory Sweets Thursday, something must be really wrong," Mokuba continued," And he didn't reply when I texted him to ask if he was okay."

Kaiba thought about his unanswered messages. They weren't much, but he'd expected them at least to be read. Bakura evidently hadn't opened his phone in over a day. Perhaps Bakura decided he wasn't worth his time. Kaiba bowed his head. He didn't mean for things to go this way.

"I've messed up," he admitted quietly.

"Hmm?" Mokuba walked up closer, and pulled a chair close to his brother's desk.

"I guess he's given up on me. I barred the gates and didn't talk long enough that he's gone off elsewhere."

Mokuba sat back in his chair and sighed. "Is that why I haven't seen him around? How long ago was this?" He'd thought it strange that Bakura hadn't come over, but he figured his brother was rather busy with the product they planned to launch soon. He might have just told Bakura he was busy, Bakura would have understood. This was so much worse.

"Monday."

Mokuba looked to his brother sadly. He loved him dearly, but he wondered if Seto knew that he hurt himself more often that not. "He really cares about you. I don't think he'd give up on you."

"Then why isn't he replying?"

Mokuba rolled his eyes at that logic. "I don't know. Why did you stop talking to him?"

"I don't know what to do. I've probably ruined everything. He probably hates me. What could I possibly do to fix this? Where could I even start?"

"It's obvious," Mokuba declared. "Go apologise to him."

Kaiba looked to his little brother like he had grown a second head. He literally had not considered that. It seemed clear in hindsight, but he would have never come to that conclusion on his own.

Getting to his feet swiftly and grabbing his hanging jacket, Kaiba looked to his brother and asked," Mokuba, could you take over for the board meeting at six?"

Mokuba smiled and gave a thumbs up. "Sure thing!" As his brother left urgently, Mokuba called out good luck after him. Quietly, after he was completely out of earshot, Mokuba held his hands together and begged any higher force to help out his brother.

~~  
~~

Bakura answered the door hesitantly as the bell rang a second time. He undid the deadbolt and latch, but left the chain in place so it only opened enough to peer out. His stomach flopped with a mixture of joy and dread as he saw his caller.

He looked sickeningly beautiful, Bakura decided as he rubbed at his own puffy eyes. Kaiba didn't look like he'd even bat an eyelash over the course of the last few days. He shut the door most of the way so he could undo the chain, opening it only slightly more than it had been.

Silence grew unusually awkward between them, when they often comfortably went days without speaking.

"Why are you here?" Bakura finally broke the silence.

Kaiba answered dryly, like this was a business affair," You haven't been answering your phone. I was worried."

Bakura shrugged, though most of his body was hidden behind the door. "My phone's broken."

Kaiba seemed to weigh this, and tentatively asked," May I come in?"

"No."

"Oh, okay," he said uncharacteristically unprepared.

" _Master Bakura has expressly denied your entrance_ ," the thief quipped, and Bakura offered him a wry smile. He didn't miss how Kaiba followed his gaze as he looked to what probably appeared to be thin air.

"The thief thinks you're an idiot," Bakura announced. The thief had said no such thing, but it was written all over his face, and he gave a short, agreeing, nod. Bakura took solace in the ghostly image showing him support. 

"I hate when I have to agree with the thief, but-"

"I really don't feel like talking right now," Bakura said softly. It was hard to even hear him with how he leaned into the door.

Kaiba opened his mouth to say something, but closed it and bowed his head. He stood quietly for a short while before saying," I'll be out of town for the next week. I've been invited to the Hokkaido regional tournament. It's been awhile since I've played in a proper tournament."

He wasn't quite sure what expected, but the door softly closing in his face wasn't it. Sighing, Kaiba walked dejectedly to his limousine and returned home. He came over to say two simple words, and he failed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter, but more is on the way!
> 
> By the way, it won't be relevant for some time, but it turns out a few paragraphs were missing in the third chapter of l'art pour l'art. Really, only a segue, but worth mentioning. Bakura was missing out on a bit of the conversation, but he wasn't supposed to miss out on all of it in the pizza parlor u.u;
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	2. Moonbeams

Kaiba laid the last card for his victory, calling the order of spell and effect resolutions with a steeled calm. He'd made it to finals, not that he expected any different. The crowd cheered, and Kaiba forced a small smile as he looked out and offered a small wave. It was important to give the audience what they wanted now and then, and that was recognition. It was a good for business.

Surprise shook his expression as he saw a shock of white hair in the front row. He blinked twice to make sure his eyes weren't deceiving him. Sure enough, Bakura stood with a small smile, having squeezed all the way to the rope barriers.

Calling for the closest guard, he discreetly ordered his hotel room to be opened to Bakura, and for an escort to offer his guest their service. 

It was hard to contain his impatience as he was asked to an interview. Of course he had to take any good PR offered his way. Kaiba Corp was on an upswing, and he didn't intend to squash that just because he wanted to get to his room ten minutes quicker.

It was a blissfully short affair. He had stock phrases for all their typical questions, only changing them slightly so that he didn't sound like a broken record if compared to his latest interviews. Once it was taken care of, he excused himself gracefully and made haste for his room. His chest ached with how he hoped it wasn't empty.

Once he was past the public area of the hotel, Kaiba quickened to a sprint, his long legs carrying him far. He came to a jarring stop as his outreached hands folded against his door. Kaiba opened it hastily, though with obvious trepidation. "Bakura?" His voice was reverent.

Bakura turned around like he'd been caught by surprise, a gentle smile on his lips. The pleasant expression twisted up as he tried his best to keep it despite his face pulling for the tears gathering in his reddened eyes. He shook his head lightly to dismiss the tears, looking up in the way one did to try and keep their collected tears from falling.

"Kaiba," he echoed the greeting, looking back when he was sure he had successfully held off crying.

Kaiba drew close, but stopped walking as he noticed Bakura grip at the hem of his shirt nervously. Bowing his head, he murmured," I'm sorry."

"I just want to know why," Bakura said, controlling his voice the best he could. It warbled the slightest bit.

"I…" Kaiba tried to think of how to put it into words. He knew he was in the wrong, but he also knew he had reasons he thought were important. Maybe if he could properly explain, he could mend some hurt feelings, prevent this from happening in the future. Kaiba dully realized there may not be a future. He may have damaged this beyond repair.

Clearing his throat and starting over, Kaiba admitted," I was afraid."

Bakura was looking at him expectantly, clearly waiting for more, and Kaiba scrambled for words. "I- I don't know how to explain."

"Just try," Bakura asked, wandering over to the hotel bed and sitting on the corner gently. "I've been dealing with the thief trying to explain his feelings for the last week. Whatever you have to say can't be any less coherent." He looked to his side and mutedly said," You're not exactly the most open person. It takes you a while to say what's on your mind."

Kaiba cleared his throat again, but remained silent, staring off in the distance as he tried to shuffle his thoughts into a unified idea. It took a while, but when he looked back to Bakura, the other was waiting patiently. He idly traced the Ring that he wore under his shirt, and Kaiba found himself distracted just watching how graceful Bakura could be doing something so mundane.

The second he breathed in to begin his explanation, Bakura looked up. It unnerved Kaiba a little, but he decided this was simply a situation he didn't have the luxury to feel comfortable. "I was afraid," he repeated, a biting scowl cutting into his expression.

"Of what?"

Kaiba looked away uneasily, then took a seat at one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs the hotel provided by the too small table. He drummed his fingers as he tried even harder to come up with words. It was a little iresome to be at such a loss for what to say when he commanded an extensive vocabulary in so many languages.

It was more iresome when he figured out what he wanted to say, but not in a language Bakura spoke.

"So," he began unconfidently. "Mokuba and I are family, so we have to care about each other, but other people don't. They say that they do all the time, but they can change their minds, or have never meant it. I… The last time believed someone when they said they'd care, it…" He broke off, crossing his arms so he wouldn't start pulling at the collar of his sweater.

"I don't know how to tell… If someone really does care. If I were to be wrong again… I can't- I can't…"

Bakura stood up and rushed over, pulling over the second chair. "Shh," he comforted, grabbing Kaiba's hand. "You don't have to say more, but… I trusted you, and you really hurt me."

Kaiba looked at their hands, marveling how perfectly they fit together. He could tell Bakura had more to say, so he waited quietly.

"I felt abandoned, left at the wayside, and I didn't know why. I thought maybe I did something wrong, but you wouldn't say anything. My greatest worry is that I'm a burden and the people I care about will just leave me one day, and it happened, and I didn't know why. I trusted that you wouldn't leave, that you wouldn't grow tired of me."

"That was never the reaso-"

"How was I supposed to know?"

Kaiba hesitated and admitted," I don't know."

Bakura softly rubbed his thumb over Kaiba's. "No one ever knows if someone else is truthful about caring, not really. We have to trust each other, and to trust someone, you have to be honest with your feelings."

He looked Kaiba in the eye and spoke clearly," I care about you, Seto. You're painfully clueless sometimes, and you haven't always been so nice to me, but I thought we built up something really special. I don't want to throw that all away, but it would take a big promise."

"Anything," Kaiba murmured, transfixed by Bakura's steady gaze.

"Never shut me out again. If things don't work out, it happens, but don't just drop me out of your life without warning. I couldn't take it again," Bakura whispered, not trusting his full voice as a few tears fell.

Kaiba brought his free hand up to Bakura's face and tucked his hair behind his ear. A few stray strands resisted, clinging to his cheek because of the trails the tears left. He felt a lump in his throat, and Kaiba realized as the world blurred a little that tears were gathering in his eyes too. Bakura seemed to be in such pain, and it was his fault- his stomach turned like it had when he first started getting Bakura's messages. 

He had to clear his throat yet again to get the words out, but he earnestly said," I promise."

Bakura had been tense, but his shoulders drooped with relief at the simple words. He let himself fall forwards, headbutting Kaiba's chest lightly. He was too drained to hold himself up anymore. "Good," he croaked out. He sniffled back more tears, and smiled as he felt Kaiba wrap his arms him. One hand lazily combed through Bakura's hair, gently parting it like moonbeams through his fingers.

"I'm sorry."

Bakura took his time answering, too distracted by how good it felt to be in Kaiba's arms again. "Apology accepted," he finally said. He wasn't sure if he was really okay yet, that might take more time, but this was a nice start.


	3. Promises

Kaiba had entered the finals and progressed through them easily. He was really only here for show, and it was honestly a little boring. He found himself sparing glances to Bakura when his opponents took too long. Bakura looked happy to be spectating, though Kaiba wondered if he really was, or just displaying his skilled acting.

Kaiba berated himself for being distracted during his games, but more so berated himself for questioning Bakura's desire to be here. Hadn't they just had a whole conversation about trust and having to just believe the other cared? Kaiba hummed to himself as he let his attention return to the duel at hand. He shouldn't be letting himself get distracted; it was unprofessional of a true duelist.

After a few more wins, it was down to the final four, which would face off tomorrow according to the chart they'd been following since the beginning.

More anxiety affected him than had any duel today as he realized he had free time outside of the tournament, which meant he had to confront his growing concern with what to say and do with Bakura. He wasn't sure where they were now. They'd talked about things, and come to the conclusion he wouldn't abandon Bakura ever again- but what did that mean in the short run?

Was everything be expected to go back to normal in a matter of minutes like he'd never shut him out? Did they have to slowly work their way back up to where they had been, starting all the way from the beginning? How about the question regarding the next five minutes- should he go ask to spend time together tonight?

As he picked up his briefcase and readied to leave the arena, he decided he might as well ask. He'd given Bakura too much space as it was. 

Bakura was waiting, having been brought to the duelist's guest spectating area to watch the rest of the duels with a much better viewpoint. His smile looked like he was expecting him to come over, and Kaiba felt a little relief like at least he did one right in the last while.

"Good job today," he warmly congratulated, coming close like he was about to give a hug, but stopping as he realized they were still in the public eye.

"Thank you. I almost feel sorry for the other duelists. I'm out of their league," Kaiba said, completely serious and unaware how conceited he sounded. 

Bakura rolled his eyes, falling to Kaiba's right as Kaiba began to lead them to his personal room. "You face Tanaka Satomi tomorrow. I think you should pay her a little mind. Her trap strategy is pretty impressive."

"Yes, I saw she relies on a strong network of traps to protect the others. I should probably slip in God's Pronouncement from my side deck."

"Couldn't hurt," Bakura agreed. 

The duelist talk didn't exactly seem fake, but it seemed like Bakura's heart wasn't in it. Kaiba thought about his questions and remained silent until they made it to the room. As Bakura shut the door behind him, Kaiba turned around to ask the first thing on his mind, but stopped as he saw Bakura leaning against the door with an exhausted expression.

"Are you alright?" Kaiba asked, his other questions falling from his brain.

Bakura had been staring at the ground and looked up. "I know you don't want any bad press because of your company… but- no, it's stupid, nevermind." Bakura shook his head and brought his content smile back.

"What is it," Kaiba asked, trying to wear an encouragingly concerned expression.

"I just felt really alone last week because I couldn't tell anyone why I was sad. But I know that-"

"The tabloids would devour us," Kaiba finished, humming to himself.

Bakura looked to the ground, feeling stupid for even bringing it up. He knew how much Kaiba was concerned with his company's image, and the world wasn't ready for them yet. He would hate to be the reason Kaiba Corporation's stocks suffered. He didn't really feel the need to make the world know though. "I don't care about anyone else, but can we tell our friends?"

Kaiba bore a look of shock, but quickly brought his expression back to neutral. "Our friends," he struggled over the words," you don't think they would mind?"

Bakura shook his head as a light laugh came to him. "They're our friends. They want us to be happy. If we're happy, they will be."

"I'm… not very good at friends," Kaiba reminded Bakura. "I never had much practice."

Bakura was still leaned up against the door, looking to Kaiba who stood in the main room. Making his way through the small hallway space to the other, he hugged Kaiba. He had overwhelmingly more experience with making friends, but he had almost as much experience keeping them. He believed in Yuugi, Jounouchi, Anzu, and Honda though. They were so loving, and if they were willing to put their lives on the line for him, he couldn't imagine they'd abandon him for who he chose to love.

Hugging Bakura close, Kaiba decided to elaborate, feeling it explained more of why he'd shut out Bakura. He wanted Bakura to know that it really wasn't him, that it was all Kaiba's own problems showing themselves after years of not working them out. "I'm sure I miss a lot of obvious things," Kaiba began, and it was hard to admit such ignorance for someone as prideful as he.

"I've never had time for for keeping friends. I protected Mokuba in the orphanage, so all the other children hated me, and Gozaburo... taught me that no one sticks with you unless they have something to gain or are too weak to support themselves. It's confusing that they want me around. This last while has been so… _different_ than the rest of my life…"

Bakura hugged even tighter; hearing the sad truth made his heart ache. Kaiba's actions had hurt him, and honestly probably would for some time, but he understood where Kaiba was coming from.

"It has been the best my life has ever been."

"Me too."

"It seemed too good to last," Kaiba whispered.

"Is that why you sabotaged it?" Bakura didn't mean to sound so bitter, but it slipped out.

With a very serious tone, Kaiba continued," I promise I won't make such a grave mistake again. I mean it with all of my being." His voice was becoming theatrical, his natural overzealousness rising.

"I believe you, I trust you," Bakura said with a small laugh. "You don't need to convince me. You've given me your word, and I trust you."

Kaiba thought over Bakura's words, feeling like he was unfairly lucky. Bakura had said it himself, that he'd trusted him and that trust had been broken and hurt him- yet he still apparently trusted him.

"Mmm, speaking of promises, I know you've spent all day dueling, but how do you feel about a game?"

Kaiba pulled away so he could give Bakura his confused look. "A game?"

"Droughts gets boring after a few days, and there aren't too many games that are easy with one body."


	4. Heels

Kaiba found himself in a game of cribbage with the thief. As the thief began to shuffle, too harsh a grin came to the face he loved, and he waited for what the thief was going to waste his time with.

With a roll of his eyes and a heated glare to an invisible target, the thief began," Since _someone_ said we can't bet our lives…" He looked to Kaiba with a serpentine grin. "Let's make this a little more interesting at lower stakes."

Kaiba hummed interestedly, and asked," What do you purpose?"

"Every twenty points you peg, you get to ask a question that the other must answer truthfully. Last point is two questions."

"But I can't trust you to answer truthfully."

"You wound me," the thief mocked, placing a hand to his heart. "I promise my answers will be entertaining at the very least."

With a gentle bob of his head that this was fair, Kaiba declared," All I promise is the same."

"I'm glad we can both be so disappointingly private," the thief joked as he dealt their opening hands. They both made quick work of their hands and sending two cards each to the crib. Kaiba cut the deck, and the thief revealed a jack. Calling his heels and moving ahead two points on the board that Kaiba had a servant acquire, the thief smiled widely. A good start to a hopefully interesting game.

Despite the early lead that dealers were almost guaranteed, Kaiba made it to the first question. Having been thinking the whole game thus far of what he'd possibly ask the thief once he got to it, Kaiba smoothly asked," Have you ever had another host before Bakura?"

The thief gathered the cards together and began shuffling, doing so one handed so he could dramatically gesture as he boasted," I once was carried by Alexander the Great, and aided his conquest until that pesky fever came along."

Kaiba raised an eyebrow at the last detail. He wasn't really sure whether the thief was being truthful, acting so theatrical as he delivered the news, though it was true the King of Macedon had died after a fever lasting ten days.

When the thief caught up, he slid his hand and crib over to Kaiba as he considered his question. "Alright, why did you shun my host from your mansion?"

Bakura immediately appeared beside him and panickedly waved his hands no. He didn't want the thief to ask that. " _You really don't need to get involved_ ," he frantically insisted," _You don't need to try to help. I'm fine, really!_ " His pleas were ignored.

"I assumed you'd been listening," Kaiba said darkly.

The thief grinned and egged," Don't tell me _you_ are getting us confused."

Humming crossly at the insinuation, Kaiba bit out," Fine." Composing himself first, he flatly said," With the alignment of the planets as they were and more laughably magical occurrences, the apocalypse was nigh, resulting in the need for me to design a device to save the world. I was busy."

The thief laughed heartily at this, sparing a glance over at the less amused Bakura, who still seemed mad he'd brought it up in the first place. "Glad to see the blatant lies have started flying. At least you kept up your end of the bargain and made it interesting."

"I'm a man of my word," Kaiba said dully, swiftly dealing new hands.

The thief sighed as he saw another hand low on points. The question now was whether he threw away points, which would help Kaiba, or kept an odd assortment of cards that would surely give him nothing with the flipped card for the counting phase. He eyed how close Kaiba was to his next question already and made up his mind. Give Kaiba a two and nine offsuit it was.

Kaiba was able to peg the points anyways and asked," So what was Ancient Greece like, not being able to speak the language any better than I can?" He remembered the painfully incorrect conjugations and the improper order of subjects and verbs from the night the thief had woken from a nightmare.

Smiling like his lie had been caught, the thief shrugged and said," I'm more of a planner. I let Little Alex do the talking."

Bakura looked to Kaiba with an incredulous look, wishing Kaiba could see him. Yes, that perfectly summed up the thief. He never did any of the talking for his host. Nope, not him. Never.

With his amazing hand and much too lucky a crib for such bad cards contributed by the thief, Kaiba got to ask another question. "What was it like, spending what, around six hundred- six twenty?- years alone in the Ring until 'Little Alex' picked you up?" 

"I thought you were a man of the future, Mr. President," he said with an edged laugh. "What's with all this interest in the past?"

Kaiba pointed out," I'll be here to observe the future. Your past is a mystery." His tone was emotionless, just a clear statement of fact.

Distracting himself with shuffling the cards, the thief debated how to answer. It was rather tempting to spin some grand lie, or to give a humorous explanation that would be taken as such, but he eventually sighed and pursed his lips, looking for the right way to start off a true account.

"I wasn't alone," he said darkly, beginning to do shuffling tricks to keep himself preoccupied. It was hard to speak, and his throat suddenly felt closed off. "I sacrificed my life to bring about Zorc, and his soul became sealed with mine. So, I wasn't all alone at first. That took time."

Kaiba kept his eyes on the cards the whole time, the fascinating flips and spins, the twirls of cards and set up triangles only to be folded back together carefully so all the cards faced the same way. It had been seamless, and actually quite interesting to watch, despite the thief being so distracted by his tale. "That deck is completely stacked," Kaiba accused softly.

Scoffing at being caught, the thief mumbled," I'm losing my touch." He quickly shuffled the cards again, holding off on the fancy tricks and pretty displays.

Kaiba wanted to ask more, but the thief had answered plenty for one question. He'd just have to score more points.

The thief had a high scoring round and with a matching six to Kaiba's in the next pegging stage, crossed forty points. "What's your earliest memory?"

Kaiba looked away as he answered," Being excited to be a big brother." It was no secret how much he cared for Mokuba, but it was embarrassing to talk about it.

"Seriously? I didn't expect something so mushy out of the Great Kaiba Seto."

"Eighteen for six," Kaiba called his points as he set down the third six, pointedly ignoring the thief's comment.

The thief overtook Kaiba by three points, getting him to his third question as well. "What does Kaiba Seto, CEO of Kaiba Corp, secretly do for fun?"

"I go to the arcade sometimes," he answered, trying to seem indifferent. "Are you going to play your next card?"

"Fine, fine. Twentyeight," he said, laying down a queen. "How does the press not hear all about that?"

"I didn't say I went as me. You specified secret."

"I can't believe you actually go undercover to play video games," the thief laughed.

" _I think it's nice_ ," Bakura insisted with an amused grin. Kaiba loved games so much, and was typically such a proud person, but he wasn't taking public credit for his high scores.

"Nobody asked you," the thief huffed with a sidelong glance to Bakura, earning him a dirty look from Kaiba for his rudeness to his host. The thief rolled his eyes at the stupid president. Getting all upset about one offhand comment when he had put Bakura through so much for around a week.

"Yes, well, it's bad for business to beat everyone in all of Japan at almost every single game when you're a gaming company CEO. They won't want to play anymore if they think it's rigged."

"Some rando on the other hand is a challenge to encourage sales," the thief concluded. "Wow, crushing children at video games to further your business. You're ruthlessness is inspiring."

Kaiba laid his card and called the new number before admitting diffidently," I don't do it further Kaiba Corp. I just like playing."

" _We should all go together sometime_ ," Bakura enthused, looking expectantly to the thief to convey the message.

"I don't know. Video games aren't really my thing," the thief dismissed, not bothering to let Kaiba in on the conversation. He was smart enough, he could figure it out himself. They kept playing, racking up the points as the conversation continued.

"I'd love to go with Bakura," Kaiba agreed, easily following. There was a first for everything. KAI had never entered an arcade attended. He didn't even bring guards, wanting his identity to be completely secret.

The thief immediately asked," Hey, what about me?"

"You don't seem interested," Kaiba said with a shrug. "Probably afraid I'll beat you at every game."

For someone who'd almost brought about the end of the world not once but twice, his easily affronted reaction was hilarious. "I'll have you know-!"

"My question," Kaiba interrupted as he called his points. Getting an annoyed hand wave to proceed, Kaiba asked," You said you weren't alone right away, that it took time. What did you mean by that?"

The thief couldn't help but notice Bakura looking at him interestedly too. They both were staring at him expectantly, like there was a simple answer to this and he could just rattle off a sentence or two and they'd be happy with that. "Exactly what I said. At first there were two souls, so I wasn't lonely," he scoffed.

Lonely was not an adjective he'd use of that time. Agonized, anguished, some other pretty literary word that made authors feel smart while describing a mind numbing rot as one's soul was dismantled and put together again, that was how he would describe it. "A couple hundred years passed, and then there was one."

The thief had been allowed to expand on the last topic, so Kaiba felt justified in clarifying," Your souls merged?"

The thief shrugged. It was something like that. He couldn't really recall everything clearly. It was a long time ago, and a painful process he didn't want to remember.

When the thief finally reached eighty points, he wasn't wearing the smug grin he had been early in the game. His eyes were downcast, but he still projected his voice confidently," Can we stop talking about my past?"

"That's your question?"

The thief nodded.

"Okay."

He looked up to Kaiba with wary surprise, but quickly returned his attention to his cards flusteredly. He hadn't expected it to just be accepted like that. He was relieved though, especially since he'd wasted a question on the request. He avoided looking at Bakura and Kaiba as he continued to play, not wanting to see any concerned or derisive expressions that might be cast his way.

The thief began to shuffle with tricks again, finding that it calmed him to do so. A few seconds into it, he realized what he was doing and promised," I'm not stacking the deck." He was actually being entirely honest, though he wondered if Kaiba believed him. He wouldn't be shocked if Kaiba had him shuffle again, though he knew how to stack a deck without being obvious and would be seriously leaning towards doing so if accused of cheating when he wasn't.

"Really?"

The thief looked him in the eyes as he held out the deck and affirmed," Really. Trust me?"

Kaiba wasn't so sure he'd go so far as to say he trusted the thief, but he didn't think the thief was lying this time. The stakes were also rather low. If he ended up losing because of this, he would have to answer some questions, and it was private. They might be sensitive questions, but they'd established early on that lying was okay, so long as the answer was interesting or funny. He could afford to be wrong, so he simply shrugged and ordered," Deal."

The thief smiled, and while it was genuine, it naturally took on a sly angle. Habits were hard to break. Flicking the cards in place quickly, Bakura picked up his hand and felt his stomach drop. Not another awful hand. He should have stacked the deck after all.

Kaiba laughed as he picked his own hand up. Well now it was obvious he'd been telling the truth. They both discarded to the crib, and Kaiba eagerly started the round after cutting the thief a ten. It was just his lucky round. "Ten," he announced, dropping a jack of the same suit as the revealed card, which would count for knobs in the counting stage. It was no matter if the thief had a five to make the fifteen, he'd just rake in more points in off of it, and he was in the lead by seventeen points as it was.

"Fifteen for two." The thief moved his second peg two ahead of the front one.

"Twenty for two." He laid down a pair for the five.

The thief's small grin widened to victorious smile that looked ready to split his face. "Twentyfive for six."

"Thirty for twelve," Kaiba calmly bested, dropping the last five to his pile. That all four of a number had made it on the table was a rarity, and he was certainly glad it had lined up for his benefit.

The thief swore, then passed, only scoring Kaiba another point. They'd passed the one hundred mark, Kaiba should be asking a question, but the thief knew why he wasn't. They played through the rest of the round, and thief of course couldn't come up with over thirty points by just pegging alone. 

The dealer counted second.

Kaiba showed his win, fanning out the cards and pointing to the helpful ten that scored him a lot of points, then said," I believe I've racked up four questions. One hundred, one twenty, and two for winning."

The thief was sure glad he'd forgone his pride and pleaded that Kaiba couldn't ask more about his past. With a sour expression, the thief gestured for Kaiba to get on with it and said," Hurry up, then."

"What would you do if you had your own body?"

Okay, damn, he wasn't switching to light party conversation starters. "Be royally screwed since I don't have form of identification."

"If all the governmental nonsense was squared away, what would you do?"

The thief had to think about it for a second. Finding another cop out too good to pass up, he blandly answered," Still be royally screwed since I couldn't function in modern Japanese life." Kaiba didn't have to know why unless he was willing to waste a question.

Figuring more of these questions would just be dodged, Kaiba switched subjects. He really just wanted to know about the thief's past. The future and hypotheticals weren't of much interest to him, since as he said, he'd be there to witness the future presumably and hypotheticals were usually just anxiety fuel for him. Apparently the thief didn't pay them much mind, either.

"What's your favorite game?"

"Anything with dice."

"What do you consider your relationship with Bakura to be?"

The thief scratched his head and scowled. A year ago, he wouldn't be having this conversation. A month ago, he would have just flatly answered that he was his landlord, nothing more. "I guess he's my friend or something?" It was said with hesitation, like the words didn't feel right coming out of his mouth. He couldn't remember having used the word friend straightforwardly since… He actually couldn't remember it at all. "He seems to think so, anyways," the thief tacked on with a shrug, playing it cool and not wanting to seem attached.

"Well, that was a good game. We should play again sometime," Kaiba said with curt nod, an air of business formality touching his words and motion. Their game had come to a close, and all debted questions had been answered.

The thief shrugged and gave back control, Bakura taking over smoothly and smiling at how well they played together. "He's a bit of a sore loser, but I think he really enjoyed playing," Bakura said softly. "Thanks, I was running out of games to play."

"Of course," Kaiba dismissed. "I don't mind playing against him so much when it's not life or death," he added, deciding he might as well be upfront. He actually greatly enjoyed the match. The thief was a good challenge, and he enjoyed their banter when they got around to it. "If he wanted a rematch…"

Bakura stood up and stretched, enjoying the sensation he could feel again. It was so odd being a roaming spirit, but he was getting used to it. Turning to Kaiba, Bakura informed him," He's resting now, but I'll let him know." He would bet just about anything that the thief was already gunning for a rematch and going over his tactics in his head to come up with a winning strategy.

"Well," Bakura stated awkwardly, letting his gaze fall to the floor. 

Understanding that Bakura meant he was ready to leave, Kaiba cleared his throat and stood up as well. He took a step closer, but he didn't know where they were on how close they should be now. Did Bakura expect a friendly wave goodbye? A hug? Would he be disappointed if he didn't get a kiss goodnight? Would keeping distance upset him more? Or should he err on the side of caution and avoid being too intimate when Bakura may not have really forgiven him yet?

Kaiba didn't notice until Bakura got so close he could feel his presence. "Don't think too hard, it's starting to smell like smoke," Bakura teased him, offering his arms out wide for a hug. If he initiated the goodbye, then Kaiba wouldn't have to worry about messing up more.

Kaiba nodded quietly, his pensive look never fully going away. He hugged Bakura close, his brow synching with pain at how Bakura didn't lean all the way in like he usually did. He let go quickly, and took a step back, clearing his throat. "My first duel is-"

"At eleven a.m. sharp. I know. I'll be cheering you on," Bakura said, also stepping back. 

Bakura left quietly, leaving Kaiba to his thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> science fiction double feature! Two chapters at once since it may be a bit before the next chapter. It's written, but it needs to be beta'd (as does this chapter again. I probably missed a lot since I decided 3 am was a good time to do so...) and I have a busy rest of the week ahead of me.


	5. Presents

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are mentions of sex in this chapter. Nothing remotely graphic, but just a heads up.

The rest of the the tournament went off without a hitch, and Kaiba was returning to his mansion with yet another trophy for his staff to clean. He had to go back to school, which he sometimes wondered why he bothered with when he'd already had an advanced education regimen that put him ahead of most college graduates. Hearing that Mokuba had cut classes to attend some meetings for Kaiba corp during his dueling tour reminded him; he had to set a good example for Mokuba, who never underwent the same tortuous education he did and still needed a proper education.

"Clarice," he drew attention as he passed her desk on his way out. "See to it that Bakura is provided a new phone of whatever specifications he wants. Kaiba corp will take care of the contract."

"Yes, sir," she said, taking note quickly.

Kaiba stopped walking and thought for a moment. "You've been dating someone for three years, right?" He made it his business to know everything about every employee he had. She was part of his closest staff, having worked with the Kaiba family for almost a decade. He'd known her for almost half his life, and though he only ever met her partner at company parties, he remembered names and faces if he'd even met someone once.

She looked to him with light surprise, and affirmed," And two months."

They had to have had fights in that time. He continued with his true question," What do you get Ami when you've messed up?"

She laughed and said," Well, it's usually Ami who forgets important dates and drops plans last second."

"What does she do for you, then? To make up?"

Clarice blushed and wore the least professional look Kaiba had ever seen on her face. "Well, I mean, aside from…"

Ah, Kaiba made the connection that she was referring to something physical.

"She buys me things. Like bracelets. I love bracelets."

This actually surprised Kaiba. He wouldn't have known, since they were against dress code and Clarice never was in conflict with the rules. It was slightly unhelpful. Bakura only owned one piece of jewelery, and he had tried desperately to keep it away from him.

Sparing a momentary look of cursory permission to be candid, she asked," You're looking for a gift for Mr. Bakura, yes?"

Kaiba nodded. His ride to school could wait. He usually arrived considerably early to avoid having to come in at the same time as everyone else, but he'd just have to deal with the crowds.

"What's something he likes? Something you do together? Something he really values? There are a lot of angles to take."

"He loves games, and it's something we do together, but I already provide all the games we play for the most part anyways."

"Yes, you want it to stand out and be special," she agreed.

Kaiba frowned as he thought about the prompts she'd given. He was awful at gift-giving when it wasn't a business thing. "I have to get going now," he said after a few moments of consideration. He didn't want to be late for school. "But I'll think on your suggestions. Thank you, Clarice."

"Of course, Master Seto. Have a good day of school."

~~  
~~

It started with the phone, which Bakura didn't feel too bad about accepting.

Then it was a watch. Kaiba knew how much Bakura liked to have a constant knowledge of what time it was. It helped with his anxiety to be able to know that same amount of time passed as what he remembered.

Then it was an entire series of novels after Bakura mentioned being interested in picking up the first book from the library.

The presents didn't stop, and Bakura began to feel awkward accepting them all. He knew that Kaiba could afford it, but that wasn't the point. Holding a new tool set for his miniature carving, Bakura turned it around in his hands awkwardly.

"You don't like it? I thought it might-"

"That's not it. It's perfect. My three millimeter gouge is pretty old and I broke my V parting tool, but it's just… I don't need all these presents," he said, looking Kaiba in the eyes nervously. He didn't know exactly what he wanted to say, and he was afraid he might hurt Kaiba's feelings or come off ungrateful.

Kaiba hummed to himself, taking in Bakura's words. "I'm trying to make up for what I did."

"I know, and get that, but I'm here for you, not your money." He didn't know how express how he felt. It was awkward receiving so many expensive gifts one after another when he couldn't repay that kind of thing. Kaiba had probably spent more on him in the last few days than Bakura paid rent for a month, which was rather high in downtown Japan. 

"I'm here for you," Bakura repeated, drawing close and leaning into a warm hug. "I'm not opposed to gifts and the like, but I don't need them in excess. I just need us to keep talking."

"So you're saying I should take back the original printing of the Monster World version one rulebook?"

"You didn't," Bakura gasped, pulling away with an incredulous expression. It was impossible to find these days, and the remastered version just didn't have the same nostalgic feel. His original copy had been read to the point of falling apart before being lost to moving around so much.

Kaiba nodded silently and Bakura groaned, burying his face in Kaiba's chest. "I guess I'm not against one more gift," he conceded, chewing on his lip. "But that's the last one until my birthday!"

"Okay," Kaiba agreed with a small smirk. He was honestly relieved. He didn't have to spend all day thinking about what to get Bakura next. He didn't mind the spending, but the debating about what to get next was rough. He brought Bakura to sit with him on the couch with him, the relief from gift-giving being over faltering after a few moments of more thought.

There was still something else that weighed him down, and he didn't know how to bring it up. He thought back to Clarice and her immediate answer to what she and Ami did when making up. Kaiba let his gaze rest on Bakura's lips, trying to muster up any desirous feeling he could. They were a dusted pink, slightly cracked despite the warmth outside presumably from forgetting to drink enough water, and they seemed warm and full. They did nothing for him.

He knew plenty of his fellow students wanted to kiss Bakura, and he had come around to how much Bakura liked to cuddle and hug. He didn't exactly mind the small kisses Bakura liked to pepper his skin with, especially since Bakura was always careful to avoid overdoing it or getting too close to restricted areas. Though he didn't really look forward to them either, like Bakura did when Kaiba took the time to plant a chaste kiss.

Bakura was so much more affectionate, especially physically, and Kaiba was… worried, that was the word. He was worried that Bakura wasn't as happy as he could be, that he may decide all this emotional labor wasn't worth it without a physical reward.

"There's something on your mind."

Kaiba watched the words form, still looking intently at his lips, before raising his eyes to make contact with Bakura's. Sometimes it was frustrating that anyone on this planet could read him as well as Bakura. He had always taken pride in being detached and hard to figure out.

"Don't you ever…" Kaiba grabbed Bakura's hand and rubbed his thumb over it, looking for strength in sharing his thoughts. It was still hard for him to tread in these waters. "Do you want to kiss? On the lips?"

With a shocked raise of an eyebrow, Bakura asked," What?"

"I can tell how much haptics-" He saw slight confusion cross Bakura's face that was markedly different than the surprise and changed his word choice," How much touch means to you. Sometimes I think you would be happier if you could kiss freely."

"But do _you_ want to kiss on the lips?"

"Well, no." The thought disgusted him. The warm, wet sensation as saliva exchanged and stringed up as it got stuck between smashed skin- Kaiba knew his face would read plain as day his exact feelings towards kissing. "But I don't want…" _you to get bored or resent me because I'm not willing to do what you like._

"Kaiba," Bakura said clearly, grabbing his full attention and disrupting his thoughts. "I love you." His face twisted up in sheepish surprise as he realized what he just said. "Kissing seems great and all, but I chose to be with you because I care about you and your wants. Perhaps sexual stuff would be fun, but it's not as important to me as you. It's not a need. Seeing you happy is."

Kaiba's brow crinkled as he thought over Bakura's words. He'd didn't know how he felt. Relieved that Bakura had said all the right things to placate his fears? Upset because Bakura had made clear he was interested in it, and Kaiba knew he couldn't do it for him? Some strange mix of happiness and fear because Bakura had just said aloud that he was in love, and had specified it was with him, and that thought was so foreign that Kaiba couldn't quite process it despite hearing it with his own ears? Guilty because he didn't feel worth this sacrifice that Bakura must be making? If it was much of a sacrifice at all? He couldn't imagine the desire for sex, so he couldn't reliably come up with how difficult it would be to abstain.

"This is probably an absurd question…"

Bakura wore an amused grin at Kaiba's hesitation. It never ceased to amaze him that the intrepid Kaiba Seto he'd known all this time could be so emotionally honest with him now, and that he didn't have the immediate words for it. "Go ahead."

"Are we dating?"

That was kind of what Bakura expected would be the question. "Do you want to be?"

Kaiba uncertainly swallowed at the return question. "I don't know. I hadn't really thought about it until recently."

"It wouldn't be so bad, I think," Bakura neutrally said. He was content either way. Now that he had the go ahead to tell their friends that there was _something_ between them, so they didn't have to hide, he didn't really care how they defined that _something_. If being an abnormally close friend was what Kaiba was comfortable with, Bakura was fine with that. They talked candidly enough on a regular basis, that their relationship whatever it was had clear boundaries that could be respected by the other. That was all that Bakura really thought was important in the end.

"I guess I'm not opposed to it," Kaiba decided aloud, not missing Bakura's chuckle at his phrasing.

Bakra asked a little humorously," Does this mean you're my boyfriend now?"

Kaiba wrinkled his nose and said," I don't know. That term seems a little immature for my tastes."

"Partner, then?" Bakura suggested.

"Sure, we're partners."

Bakura pursed his lips with the temptation of adding what he just humorously thought of to the conversation. "I guess the thief adds 'in crime'."

"Great, I knew there was a reason to keep an Ancient Egyptian spirit around. He turns our relationship into a morally ambiguous expression."

Bakura laughed at his dry humor, hugging close to Kaiba. He closed his eyes and smiled warmly, letting the relieved happiness from both of them wash over him. Being with, _dating_ , Kaiba wasn't effortless, but it was worth the effort.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No one tell Kaiba that Yuugi and Atem called each other partner on a regular basis.


	6. Clausterphobia

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for severe injury (not described in great detail), and a mild mention of needles/hospitals.

Bakura was coming back with Mokuba from taking him to see a new movie. Bakura didn't really get it, but he vaguely remembered his parents taking him and Amane to see a movie that they claimed not to understand afterwards- back when they still all did things together. Could do things together. 

He smiled at the peppy step Mokuba had as he continued to repeat the movie they'd just seen back to him. Kaiba didn't have to know that he'd caved and let Mokuba have a whole mocha. Hopefully he'd wear off the hyper excitement by the time they made it to Kaiba's office.

Since the cinema was so close to Kaiba Corp, Bakura figured they could all go home together. He didn't know this building nearly as well as the mansion though they were roughly the same size. The mansion was more spread out, while the corporation building was much taller, but they were both imposing in their own way.

Luckily, Mokuba knew the headquarters like the back of his hand. It was interesting to watch as they entered the building. The second the doors opened, Mokuba's body language shifted. More reserved, almost commanding. He still was repeating all the funny lines and gushing over the cool scenes, but his hands stayed close to his body now, and his voice lost some of its childish glee. He didn't seem aware of the dramatic change, leading them through security like it was a natural part of life in order to visit one's brother.

Their conversation, well, rather Mokuba's enrapturing recountance of the movie, was interrupted by the brief pat down on the other side of the metal detector. There had been an attempt with a 3D printed plastic gun last month, and now full security checks were required before scanning in. Some employees didn't take not getting a promotion well.

Bakura had his own security tag now. He was listed as an "advisor" on his badge. Bakura thought the picture was rather cringy, but he like the badge otherwise. It amused him that his relationship with Kaiba translated to advisement. He was technically in the system as an intern, and it lead to a few jokes between him and the thief, though Kaiba did his best to ignore them.

They scanned through no problem, and Bakura saw the thief glimmer into existence in the corner of his eye. He was scowling like he often did these days. Bakura preferred it to the few smiles he'd seen. The thief's natural smile at this point was rather slasher like, and it upset Bakura to think his own face contorted like that on a regular basis before.

The thief scoffed," _This is a pitiful attempt at security. I could get through it with a cutlass_."

That had to be an exaggeration, Bakura thought with a roll of his eyes, not even the thief could be that good. The thief was gone as Bakura looked more directly, wanting to invite further commentary. If the thief actually said something useful, he'd be happy to pass it on. It wasn't a bad idea to get security tips from a criminal.

As they made their way for the main elevator, Bakura saw the thief again, trailing them by a few feet and looking around curiously. He was doing that a lot now. Ever since the time he got stumped by the ticket machine at a ramen shop, his eyes had been trained more on how Bakura interacted with the outside world than on Bakura himself. He was okay with that. It amused him to observe the thief watch him order food like it was witchcraft.

Casual existence flew out of the window faster than Bakura could trace. He was in the elevator holding the open button for Mokuba when he was suddenly standing outside of his body watching as the thief flung himself forward to catch Mokuba and toss him all the way on the lift as they were falling. Bakura was aware of the explosion only by how it echoed in his chest. It was only a second of continued consciousness before he was shut down into darkness.

The thief cried out harshly as his arm didn't quite make it back in the box before they were between floors. The elevator lurched to a stop, and the thief was smart enough to figure it was some emergency brake. He doubted he'd still have a left arm otherwise.

He scrabbled at the floor above him, trying to hold himself up with his free arm. The pinned arm had enough stress on it without having to hold up his whole body. He wrestled it free, dropping to the elevator's floor once he succeeded and he moaned as the very broken arm made contact with the very solid floor.

The elevator sank another couple of centimeters at his impact, but otherwise held its place. He blearily looked ahead, sighing as he saw Mokuba rubbing his head. It looked like he must have hit it on impact, but he was still conscious and seemed otherwise unhurt.

"Hey, kid, don't take a nap, you hear?" His voice was rough, like speaking was a chore. Honestly, it was. His pained scream had put quite a bit of stress on his throat, and he was in enough pain that controlling his voice took more than a little effort.

"I- I won't," Mokuba said, wide eyes snapping up to the other. "Bakura?"

"Something like that," the thief agreed, aborting his shrug as he realized how much it moved the broken arm. He gritted his teeth and righted himself to sitting up against wall. He realized how he'd taken control and grumbled. Bakura didn't like being fully shut out, and he didn't feel like getting chewed out for it, so he called Bakura's soul back to alertness.

"Old habits die hard," he mumbled as his host appeared ghostly beside him. Bakura didn't seem particularly concerned by what the thief had to say as he grabbed at his ethereal, but still broken, arm.

It took him a second, but his eyes were searching as he called out," _Mokuba! Are you okay?!_ "

The thief frowned and said," Stop shouting, I'm the only one who can hear you."

"So you're the thief?" Mokuba asked, narrowed eyes holding uncertainty. "And you're talking to the real Bakura?"

"However you want to think of it. I'd personally phrase it as 'my hero', you ingrate."

" _Be nice_ ," Bakura commanded, glaring at the thief. He wasn't allowed to talk to Mokuba that way. The thief humphed at the ingratitude of both of them, but didn't say anymore. 

"You're the one who attacked me, right?"

"You're a real genius," the thief answered flatly.

"Thanks, runs in the family," Mokuba quipped back.

The elevator dropped another couple of centimeters abruptly, and everyone tensed up as it did so. The jarring stop was less than kind to the thief and Bakura cried out softly at their body's pain. The thief just swallowed back the nausea such pain caused and focused on keeping his arm as straight as possible. A minute went by without commentary from anyone.

The thief looked up with curiosity as Mokuba continued to be silent. He was going to be in a lot of trouble if the brat ended up unconscious. He was surprised to find Mokuba's eyes wide with fear that hadn't been there before. The kid had actually reacted rather well to the whole accident until now. 

Mokuba looked up at the top of the elevator, only the slightest crack of light still shone in to show such. His eyebrows were drawn in such a way, it looked like his hope was only a strand holding a rope fast.

"I'm not cut out for this," the thief decided, switching with his host without announcing his plans to do so.

Bakura gasped in pain, his breath coming short after the initial shock, folding over at his arm's pain. He'd felt it before, but actually taking control of his body made it so much more real. He heard his name shouted out, and he tried to sit back up with a reassuring smile. His vision swimmed as he righted himself. He squeezed his arm in place as it radiated pain."Sorry, Mokuba, are you okay?"

"Bakura!" Mokuba cried out with relief. His momentary joy was punched out by another short drop that cast them in complete darkness.

"Are you okay?" Bakura asked yet again. He just wanted an answer to his simple question. His mind was so foggy, he hoped he hadn't missed the answer already.

"Yeah," an unsteady answer came back. "I'm just not the biggest fan of small, dark spaces."

Bakura felt a small form press up against him, hugging close to his side. He frowned and wrapped his good arm around Mokuba. Even though he couldn't be seen, he still put on a smile as he said," It's going to be okay. I'm sure they're already working on how get us out."

"I know- I'm really okay. I know we'll get out. This elevator only goes down to the first basement floor, so we only have, like, a two meter fall left at the most. I just… I just can't wait to get out."

The thief's voice could be heard without a body to see, and it eerily reminded Bakura of the few times the Spirit of the Ring had tried to communicate with him early on. " _Don't tell me a noble Kaiba has claustrophobia_."

Bakura ignored his tenant in favor of comforting Mokuba. "I can't wait either. I don't think too many people like cramped, dark places." He didn't want Mokuba to feel silly for a completely normal fear. Honestly, he didn't like it in here much either.

With a small exhale that sounded irritated, like he was trying to push off his discomfort as just an annoyance, he said," It just reminds me of my penalty is all."

"Penalty? You mean Pegasus?"

"No, the other Yuugi."

"Atem?" Bakura asked like his world had been shattered. The pharaoh he knew was kind and just. He was the one to save him and his friends from the thief in their Monster World Campaign. He thought back to duelist kingdom though, and how he'd been willing to win a duel at the cost of Kaiba's life. It was still hard to imagine the other Yuugi putting a child through a penalty.

His own loud voice egged a coming headache, and Bakura fought a rush of nausea. He was rather practiced at keeping awareness despite such a fog covering his mind, though.

"None of us were very nice back then," Mokuba said quietly, sounding a little less despondent as he thought hard about this. He thought of his flimsy revenge attempt and bit his lip. "I tried to poison him to death. The first time we played a game, I threatened to have his fingers cut off... "

"Oh," Bakura very eloquently commented.

"My friends at school embarrassingly admit to having shoplifted once, or cheating on a big test, but I almost killed Jounouchi. He would be dead if the other Yuugi hadn't figured out how I was cheating," Mokuba's voice got tight like he was fending off crying the best he could. "Am I a bad person?"

It was a bit shocking, a lot of information to take in, and Bakura felt his mouth open but close uselessly. The elevator was starting to fill with dim light, and Bakura realized his eyes were adjusting as the emergency lights were starting to kick in. They were weak, glowing faintly, but as they began to come to life, they were steadily increasing in output.

The first thing he saw clearly was the thief sitting right in front of him, eyes wide with curiosity. It was startling, _eerie_ , as he came into focus directly in front of Bakura. Keeping eye contact with the thief as he spoke, Bakura asked," Would you ever think of doing those same things now?" He rubbed Mokuba's back comfortingly, his heart breaking as Mokuba hugged even closer.

"No," Mokuba replied, a bubbly gasp breaking forth as he began to cry.

Bakura carefully answered," Then I think that makes you a person who's learned from their mistakes." Just denying it with no context wouldn't help. He swallowed uneasily as the thief's eyes narrowed contemplatively but didn't break contact.

Bakura grimaced and breathed in sharply as another shock of pain ran up his arm. He couldn't really feel his fingers on that hand anymore. He looked at it with a sad smile, thinking how it was always that arm he came back to injured.

"Does it hurt a lot?" Mokuba asked, shifting around so he could see the arm that was definitely bent in the wrong place.

"Quite a bit."

Mokuba took a breath like he was about to say more, but a crackly voice came through the fireman's phone," _Can anyone report the wellbeing of this elevator's occupants?_ "

Mokuba answered immediately, not letting his croaking voice getting in the way of his job. As vice-president, safety protocols were of course reviewed on a regular basis. "Two occupants, both conscious. Bakura has a broken arm, but is in stable condition. I hit my head in the fall. Seem to be fine."

" _We're leaving this line open for emergency services. Please alert us to any changes in condition. Expect the elevator to move some; we have crews working on evacuation._ "

"Roger," Mokuba acknowledged, before sighing and getting comfortable again.

"Don't get too comfy," Bakura reminded. "We don't want you falling to sleep."

"I won't," Mokuba promised, but as his eyelids began to grow heavy, Bakura snuck his cold hand up the back of his shirt, pressing his icy fingers to the small of Mokuba's back. Mokuba cried out in shock, but laughed. 

They couldn't continue their deep conversation, not with any number of people listening on the other side. Nothing hurt sales like admitting to attempted murder.

It took them a while to pry open the ceiling, and as they did so, Bakura could tell why. The two people above them wore full protective gear that greatly slowed them down. There must still be a bomb threat. Bakura had to hold his arm together as they helped him out, and bit through his lip at the pain, managing to bring blood to an otherwise completely bloodless emergency. He refused to look the thief in the eye as he had gauze pressed to his face by a paramedic.

Kaiba was waiting, eagerly scooping Mokuba into a hug as he ran out the building. Bakura looked to Kaiba, his eyes weary but relieved, a smile pulling at bloody lips as he saw the endearing brotherly moment. Kaiba sent back a look, one that gave off all of his worry and just how grateful he was they both made it out alive.

Upholding the halfhearted public image of not being more than classmates, Bakura rode in his ambulance alone. He sighed as the thief made himself seen once again. He couldn't expect them to hold a conversation right now. The paramedics would think he was crazy.

As they gave him something for the pain though, he didn't even find himself surprised or annoyed as the thief started talking.

" _I broke the rules._ "

"There wasn't really time to ask," Bakura languidly dismissed, watching as a nurse checked his blood pressure. Hadn't he done that, like, three times now? Bakura couldn't be sure. Maybe that was normal, or maybe he couldn't count. Maybe that's not even what he was doing. Bakura couldn't be sure of anything as the paramedic began saying something muffedly. He focused on the voice he could make out instead.

" _So you're not mad? I got your arm broken._ "

"Mokuba's life was more important. Accidents happen."

The thief seemed to hesitate. " _Your conversation with Mokuba…_ "

Bakura's eyes blinked a few times and he laying in a hospital bed. He was vaguely aware of motion, feeling like he was still moving as he tried to sit up. He was too exhausted for that however. "Thief?" he called softly. What time was it? 

His head ached, feeling like it had been split open. Curiously, his arm only dully throbbed. That was very different from the piercing agony it had been before. 

"Thief," he called again, his voice interrupted by a tickle in his throat. It felt like he hadn't spoken in some time and was rather sore.

A blurry image appeared before him, but only distorted creaks left his mouth before he altogether disappeared. 

"Very funny," Bakura said humorously. "We're well passed that." He huffed lightly as the thief still didn't properly respond, taking the time to look at his surroundings. The first thing he noticed was the overwhelming amount of flowers. It probably wasn't actually that much for how big of a company his accident had happened in, but he couldn't remember ever having received flowers before, so it seemed like a lot.

His broken arm was rested over his chest, held in place and casted.

The person he wanted to see most was sleeping in the sole armchair in his quiet room. 

Kaiba looked tense, his silent and strong face carrying over into sleep. He must be really worried then, Bakura thought tiredly. Bakura felt guilty instantly, hating to make anyone worry on his account.

"Hey," he called, repeating it a little louder when Kaiba only twitched in his sleep.

Kaiba looked up with surprise, blinking away sleep. "Bakura," he breathed," You've woken."

Frowning, Bakura asked," Was there doubt I would?"

"You beat their estimate by six hours," he replied as he scooted his chair closer and reached for Bakura's good hand. As Bakura moved his hand to meet Kaiba's he realized he had IVs and tensed up, afraid to tug at them. He wasn't really bad with needles, but to say he was comfortable with them was an overstatement. Bakura squeezed weakly, loving how Kaiba's warm fingers interlaced with his. 

"How long was I out?"

"A little over two days. You're brain was swelling a little so they kept you sedated a little longer than they first planned. You needed surgery for your arm."

Bakura wasn't surprised about his arm. It had not been fun to look at.

Kaiba added," It was a pretty clean break though, so it should heal quickly."

Bakura asked his most pressing question after digesting everything he'd already been told. It wasn't very much information, but with how hard he had to focus on Kaiba to stay awake and understand everything said, it was harder to process. "How's Mokuba?"

"He didn't even have a concussion. He's in school right now."

Bakura sighed with relief, closing his eyes and smiling gently. Children could be so resilient.

A silence settled between them, and Bakura was pretty sure he fell asleep because when he opened his eyes Kaiba was pacing on the other side of his bed. Bakura took note, but slipped back asleep again.


	7. Jumbled

Bakura woke up confused, a pleasant fog blanketing his worries. He wanted to be confused about where he was, and he felt he should be upset that he couldn't move much, but all he felt was a soft warmth across his whole body. With a dopey grin, he looked to his side where he could hear game pieces clacking.

He saw the brothers playing chess and sighed contentedly, they looked so cute. He missed his heartwarming sibling moments. Amane had really loved go fish. "Hey, guys," he called out, smiling at their sudden alertness as they abandoned their game and rushed to his side. He felt so special for the Kaiba's to leave a game unfinished on his account.

"How are you feeling?" Mokuba asked quickly, eager eyes lit up with concern. This was his first chance to see Bakura awake, and he was relieved to see with his own eyes that Bakura was not in an eternal slumber.

"My beeping machine is talking Spanish," Bakura answered, yawning and placing his good arm over his eyes.

Both brothers spared a glance at the electrocardiography machine, Seto taking mental note of the numbers and how they compared to the hour before. Not bothering to mask his small amusement, Seto asked," Is it bothering you?" 

"No, no it's a good thing," Bakura decided, his voice filled with too much relief. It was extremely odd; he didn't know anything about Spanish aside from _hola_ , but he was down right certain that his heart monitor was conversing in fluent Spanish and that he could understand it.

Bakura listened to his monitor for a while longer, a somber expression starting to grow. "Did… we ever find out why they elevator exploded?"

"No," Seto admitted, looking away with failure written all over his face. Bakura had asked three times before, not remembering having asked prior. Each time Kaiba had to admit, that no, he didn't know, but they were investigating thoroughly. "I have my team working on it, but all we've figured out for sure is style of rig they used."

Kaiba's stomach dropped every time Bakura asked. These kind of assassination attempts were what he got for making the kind of connections he had before revitalizing his company after Duelist Kingdom. He was the fool who had opened negotiations with the mafia and hired countless professional killers, and then laid them off or let the authorities have them when he was done with them. Bakura was only in harm's way because he chose to associate with him.

Bakura saw the dark look on Kaiba's face and frowned. Reaching to hold his hand, he assured him," I'm sure you'll find them. And, hey, no one died. I'll be all better in no time." His stomach lurched as he realized he didn't know for sure that no one died. He knew that he and Mokuba made it through, but outside of the elevator might have been just as dangerous.

Kaiba nodded an affirmative, but didn't speak. This was the second time that Bakura tried to convince him it was all alright, and Kaiba didn't have the heart to disagree. Sure, everything ended up marginally okay this time, but what if he wasn't so lucky next time? There would certainly be a next time. There had been enough times before this one to ensure that. What if something happened to Mokuba or Bakura, and it was all because of him?

Mokuba could sense the rising tension in his brother, and Bakura seemed a little crestfallen by the lack of response. With perhaps a little too much cheer, he suggested," Hey, now that everyone's awake, what do you guys say to a game of cribbage?"

Two handed was better, but three handed was still fun.

"Perhaps something easier," Bakura thought aloud, already laughing at how badly he would fail at math right now. "But a game does sound fun."

"Something cooperative would be good," Kaiba said, already calling for a servant to obtain whichever game they decided on. If they played as a team, at least they could help Bakura through his turns. He didn't exactly look all there and ready for competition.

With more giggling, Bakura said," Well, a hospital is a good place to fight a Pandemic." His comment seemed ridiculously funny to himself, though he was sure it was rather subpar. Everything just seemed great right now, and small things seemed larger than life, while large concerns like who tried to murder him the other day seemed inconsequential.

With the choice of game settled, Kaiba quickly had the game brought in, but not quickly enough. Bakura was passed back out before his butler could return. It was no matter, they could play when he next woke up if he felt up to it. Bakura had been slipping in and out fairly frequently, and only usually stayed alert for a short while. Kaiba had been leaving the room as little as possible to ensure he'd be there when Bakura woke up, not wanting to miss a single moment.

The medical staff had placated Kaiba that this was normal. They said he was making a remarkable recovery, if taking a little long to wean off of heavy medication. Not remembering previous waking episodes or even why he was in the hospital in the first place was normal. Knowing that this was to be expected didn't make it easier, and Kaiba was rather anxious.

"Who's turn is it?"

Turning to look at Mokuba who'd already returned to their game of chess, Kaiba wandered over and stared at the board. Mokuba had brought in a fold up chess board, reminding him it'd been awhile since their last big game and insisting they play. He'd been right in assuming it would help his brother's nerves a little

It was a rarity that Kaiba could play a game so casually. The slightest display that Bakura might be awake and he forgot all about their game, only remembering vague plans of strategy he'd laid out when he came back to it. For once, the actual game being played was not the important factor, and Kaiba was just happy for the distraction it brought.

~~  
~~

Mokuba pointed to the door and Seto looked to see Anzu, followed by Yuugi. Jou and Honda weren't far behind and soon the room was full.

"How is he doing?" Yuugi was immediately at Bakura's side, looking sorrowfully at his sleeping form. He'd yet to be awake when Yuugi visited, and it reminded him too much of when he used to make the same regular visits to Kaiba, though he visited Bakura much more frequently. With a glance in Kaiba's direction, he wondered if the other knew he'd visited him during his coma. He had twice a month, before Duelist Kingdom came up.

"He was awake today, and I didn't miss it this time," Mokuba enthusiastically answered. "And the nurses said he's doing really well!"

Jounouchi fist pumped the air. "That's great! Our Bakura won't let a silly bomb hold him down."

While everyone else was getting excited around them, Anzu spared Kaiba a solemn look. "How are _you_ doing?" Her voice was soft, and her bright eyes held concern.

He shrugged uncomfortably and muttered," I wasn't anywhere near the blast. I'm fine."

Her eyes had a knowing edge as she said," But Mokuba was there, and Bakura… It's really nice of you to take so much of your time to spend at his side. He doesn't have any family around, you know?" Last she'd heard, his father was on a dig site in Cairo.

Pursing his lips and looking away awkwardly, he returned his attention to the commotion that had become this tiny, crowded room. Everyone was making an attempt to be quiet, but it was a bad mixture of people to achieve such. Namely, Jounouchi and Honda were in the same room.

"Oh, right! I almost forgot," Honda announced as he dug into his backpack. "Homework!" He presented a neat folder filled with notes and assignments.

"I would take the opportunity of a broken arm to forget about school for a while," Jounouchi mumbled, receiving fervent nods from Honda and Yuugi. Mokuba joined in with solidarity, receiving a disapproving glance from his brother.

"Some people actually care about their grades," Anzu said, crossing her arms but smiling with a mix of amusement and clear endearment.

"I can help him with it," Kaiba offered, holding out a hand for the schoolwork. He didn't actually know what they were studying right now in their classes, he hadn't gone in nearly a week, but he was sure he'd know the content anyways.

"Guys, look, he's waking up," Mokuba called softly, and everyone automatically began to huddle around.

"Yuugi… Anzu…" Bakura looked around, whispering everyone's names with surprised joy. "Everyone's here… for me?"

"Of course, buddy," Jounouchi said with a charming smile and thumbs up.

Bakura almost teared up, smiling widely. He couldn't remember ever having such support in a hospital before. He vaguely recalled Yuugi's grandpa taking him during Battle City, but he couldn't remember how that ended up. Perhaps that was for the best. Most of Battle City was a blur of other people being in control.

They all settled down into a game of Blackjack, Bakura wanting to play a game after falling asleep before he could last time. Pandemic allowed up to four players though, so they turned to casino games. Blackjack only remained popular for a short time until it became evident that Kaiba and Yuugi could count cards too well and no one else stood a chance.

When everyone else had to return home to do their homework, Bakura found himself relieved that Kaiba only largely went to school for mandatory projects and tests. Mokuba had to return home since Kaiba was adamant that he'd keep up his grades and attendance. That left just Bakura and Kaiba, and Bakura asked if they could work on his homework too.

Bakura seemed unusually concerned with keeping his grades up, and Kaiba realized he had to have put an ungodly effort into it with how much he'd moved as a child. While certainly not up to the standards of the Kaiba name, Bakura must have rigorously pushed himself in self study to maintain such shining grades.

"I usually don't encourage negligence, but I'm sure our teachers would understand if you were a few days late with your homework," Kaiba said, taking Bakura's pen before he dropped it. 

His head bobbed again, and he looked to Kaiba with weary eyes. With a determined shake of his head he said," No, I want to finish…" 

His tenacity was to be admired, Kaiba thought. "There's no need to stay up to do it. You can't hand it in until they visit again, anyways, so you might as well sleep now." He could have it delivered to the teacher's door if he wished, but Bakura didn't need to think about that. Bakura needed to rest. He was still recovering from a medically induced coma and surgery.

Pouting at the well reasoned logic, Bakura gave in and leaned back in his bed, letting Kaiba take the homework and set it aside.

"We'll continue tomorrow," Kaiba promised, already planning to read up on the subject so he could construct a better lesson than today's modest attempt.

"Thank you."

"Of course." He leaned in and kiss Bakura's forehead before brushing through his hair gently.

Bakura leaned into Kaiba's hand as his breathing began to even out. It wasn't particularly hard to fall asleep with how drugged up he was. Kaiba's presence was so comforting, especially with the lack of communication between him and the thief. It hadn't taken so long for him to become used to the thief's presence again, and now he found it ached that they weren't talking. After becoming closer, this silence felt like the void that had opened when his soul was away.

He heard the machine beep that informed him he could press a button for another dose of medicine. Even in his almost completely asleep state, he was still conscious enough to press the button the moment he knew it would offer more relief. As he was going for it, he could swear he heard a crackling voice insist, _wait_ , but after the new dose, he heard nothing more and slept easily.

~~  
~~

It was an interesting couple of days, but Bakura was finally released to Kaiba's care when he was able to keep food down and pass the doctor's other tests.

He rode in the back of a limousine with a Kaiba at either side. Bakura didn't remember falling asleep, but he woke up to the car being still, and his head nestled against Kaiba Seto's chest. Mokuba and the driver were gone, and Bakura could tell by the patterned impression on his face he'd been asleep a while.

"We're still in the car," he mumbled into Kaiba's shirt, embarrassment coloring his cheeks as he realized he'd drooled all over the other.

"The doctors said to let you rest."

"I feel so weird," Bakura said, repositioning his head so it didn't put so much stress on his neck.

Kaiba rubbed Bakura's back and said," That's normal, you're probably still pretty high. Do you feel any pain?" He was worried with all the moving about that it may hurt more than his practically motionless stay at the hospital.

Bakura had to think about it, which he decided probably meant no. He shook his head weakly. He frowned though, and announced," My arm is itchy."

"You have to keep the cast on for eight weeks. It will probably itch a lot." Kaiba was more of a realist than a comforting source of denial.

"The thief won't talk to me," Bakura complained. "He just makes jumbled noises, like a glitched game."

Kaiba raised an eyebrow at this. That was certainly interesting… He filed the information away for a desperate day, should the thief stop playing nice.


	8. Hazy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning for forced physical intimacy. I wouldn't put it above PG, but just heads up.

Bakura was on stronger medication for the first few days, but it was nowhere near the strength or consistency of being in the hospital, so the thief was able to reconnect with his host after a day or so. Kaiba could tell he was being rather judgemental, because Bakura was getting frustrated and at one point while he was walking down the hall with Kaiba, he just snapped," Fine, then _you_ try taking over."

The thief hadn't known exactly what he was accepting as he took control from Bakura. His host had never had a broken bone before. He'd never had any teeth out. He had never entered surgery. He'd never been prescribed anything harder than extra strength tylenol before this. 

Not that the thief could _remember_ , though he had to admit he hadn't played a very active role in much of Bakura's life aside from games. As he took over, the thief regretted it. He did not have the same tolerance to modern medicine his host did.

That much was evident the second he tried to take a step forwards. His foot landed far on the other side of where it should and his next lurching step had him staggered against a wall. Strong hands were supporting either shoulder in an instant, and the thief jerked away the best he could. He felt that he probably just stood largely in place, but Kaiba wisely let go.

Kaiba watched amusedly as the thief stared at the wall, holding tightly like the world was swaying. His eyes were unfocused and a strikingly unconfident expression was plastered unevenly across his face. He was pretty sure the thief was mumbling something, but it was so quiet he couldn't be sure.

The thief sidled against the wall as he decided he wanted to sit down. The closest chair was a good… he stared, stopped moving and tried to gauge how far away the chair actually was. He didn't feel well, his stomach turned and his cheeks felt numb and nausea swirled through him. Bakura had said it was a little disorienting, but this was awful. If he wasn't so busy thinking about how he felt currently, he might have felt a little bad for all the grief he'd given his host.

He wanted to sit so badly, but he didn't think he could make it all the way to the chair. He was so winded.

Kaiba could easily figure the thief was trying to make it down the hallway, though his end goal remained ambiguous. "Need a little help?" he offered patronizingly.

The thief colorfully told him no, but after a few more halting steps, he shakily sat on the ground, resting his head back exhaustedly.

Kaiba laughed lightly. It wouldn't be so funny if he didn't know that the thief had been giving Bakura a hard time. He stood just in front of the thief, ready to offer help if the thief could admit he needed it.

"Please," the thief gasped, looking up to Kaiba and raising his hand. It wasn't raised for a hand up though, it was raised in self defense.

Watching the thief stumble around like a drunken cat had been funny until it wasn't at all.

"I don't… I don't…" The thief covered his head with his good arm. As Kaiba kneeled in front of him him and reached out how he would to comfort Bakura, the thief screamed," Stay away!"

Kaiba recoiled and asked," What's wrong with you?" There were more delicated ways to phrase that, but he was too surprised to think it all the way through.

The thief shook his head as tears gathered in his eyes. "Back up," he ordered shakily.

Breathing in with a little annoyance, Kaiba did as he was asked and shuffled back half a meter. He asked," This better?" When the thief shook his head, Kaiba sighed with tested patience and backed up until his back was flush with the opposite wall. "How about this?"

"It will do," the thief decided.

"Now why are you upset?"

"I don't feel well."

Kaiba raised an eyebrow at this. The thief didn't seem like the kind of person to get upset because he didn't feel well. He'd played all of Battle City Finals with a torn up arm.

"They always used to get me drunk before," he dropped off with no closure to the sentence.

"Before _what_?" Kaiba asked a little shortly.

The thief began to laugh. At first it was a quiet chuckle, but it grew louder and louder until it sounded painful and tears were streaming down his face.

"Thief…" Kaiba's hesitation in his voice betrayed his concern.

On a particularly harsh cackle, it distinctly became sobs. 

It wasn't the same as being drunk, but he felt incredibly vulnerable anyways. His host had just seemed to be drowsy, but otherwise fine, but the thief felt completely helpless. He'd rather the pain. 

He covered his face with his good hand and curled up on himself, letting the casted arm hang out awkwardly to the side. Wet eyelashes bat against his fingers, and the thief hiccuped as he tried to stop crying. He didn't want to show such weakness, it only made him feel less in control. It reminded him of life when he couldn't reach market tables yet.

He heard movement, and glared up through his spread fingers at Kaiba. "No, don't leave," he implored, feeling his stomach turn at the request. He shouldn't be asking the stupid president to stay with him. Something seemed fundamentally wrong with that.

Kaiba exhaled shortly, but shrugged his shoulders and sat back against the wall. He'd thought the thief didn't want him here; he hated when others saw _him_ vulnerable, and he thought he might as well extend a courtesy to someone so similar to himself.

"I want to sit in a chair," the thief said with a sniffle. He didn't know why, but it seemed really important to his drug hazed mind. He watched sombrely as Kaiba hefted himself to his feet and walked over. As he offered a hand up, the thief roughly pushed at Kaiba's legs, trying to push him away. It was difficult one handed. "N-no! No touching me," he angrily insisted.

Humming frustratedly, Kaiba backed up and looked down the hall. The mansion was large enough that many halls had chairs at various points, like checkpoints in a videogame Bakura had once joked. They were pretty chairs, upholstered and fancy, but not particularly comfortable. It would have to do, because Kaiba was not about to drag an armchair out to the thief. 

Walking down the hall, he grabbed the top of a thin chair and dragged it back over to the thief. "Do you want help up?" He asked, because he was not about to reach towards the thief up only to get yelled at again.

The thief ignored Kaiba, as if that could salvage any of his pride, and got to his knees to try and crawl up on the chair himself. With how dizzy the medicine was making him, it was a bit of a mess, and he almost fell once, but he made it to sitting on the chair eventually.

Kaiba watched attentively, ready to intervene if he thought the thief might fall and injure his arm further. He crossed his arms, awkwardly standing to the side. "If you feel so bad, why don't you just switch back with Bakura?" he asked when the thief crossed his arms around his stomach, trying to get them to lay naturally despite the cast.

"He's asleep." The thief felt he shouldn't wake him; he'd been dealing with this awful physical experience far longer than he.

"I see," Kaiba said dismissively, though he wondered a lot about their shared existence and had so many mundane questions. "Why don't you sleep it off then?'

The thief shook his head and said," I couldn't sleep right now." He couldn't sleep feeling so out of it, so completely disoriented and powerless. When he closed his eyes, he felt warm and wrapped in the comfort of the high but nauseous. The nauseousness was probably the best part. 

He forgot what he was thinking about and opened his eyes blearily, staring at the ground blankly. Kaiba's feet were directly in front of him, and he looked up sluggishly to Kaiba's face. He was staring back, coldly and as distantly as he could manage. The thief found it comforting; he didn't want to deal with emotions right now. Kaiba's stern look was impersonal and didn't look like he expected anything out of thief. He looked rather bored, actually.

The thief abruptly reached out and grabbed Kaiba's forearm, gripping so tightly he could feel the contour of the bones even through the thicker shirt sleeve. To Kaiba's surprise, the thief whined," I'm going to be sick."

Kaiba liked this pair of slippers. "Please don't."

Kaiba grit his teeth at how hard the thief was holding his arm, the pressure building, but he couldn't bring himself pull away. He laid his opposite hand over the thief's white knuckled hand, but let go instantly as the other bristled. Right, no touching him, but apparently it was okay for the thief to touch him all he wanted. Kaiba rolled his eyes.

"Why didn't it affect my host the same way?" The thief felt so weak, this was embarrassing.

"I have to assume it did physically, but one's emotional state drastically changes how drugs affect them," Kaiba began, thinking over the mechanics of it all.

A body's tolerance was largely physical, and opiates were specifically neurotransmitter related. Though, perhaps with a different consciousness in play, neurotransmitter production changed, Kaiba considered. Like a drug induced brain, routes of thought and memory were completely changed from their base state when the thief took over. That still wouldn't explain the harsh transition from Bakura's drowsiness to the thief's panicked deliriousness within moments- the physical chemistry shouldn't have changed that fast…

Kaiba came back to the moment as the grip on his arm changed, twisting and raising so the thief's thumb curled around the inside of Kaiba's elbow, pressing tightly so that Kaiba instantly loosened his arm and brought it closer to the thief to relieve some of the pressure. He felt the thief pull him closer and Kaiba had to lean down to compensate.

A mischievous quirk of the lips now accompanied the thief's glazed eyes. Kaiba didn't like it, his stomach turning as the thief pulled him a little closer.

"I'm in control," the thief announced, pulling sharply then letting go so he could pull at Kaiba's shirt collar. His hand brought all the loose fabric together, synching it against the bare throat as he tugged closer. He tilted his head to the side, licking his lips to ready them for-

The thief didn't see it coming as something hard connected with his jaw and he was sent sprawling to the ground. His face met the marble roughly and the rest of his body followed in a heap of pain. The thief smiled as he pushed himself up, the pain coursing through his body despite the dulled sensation the painkillers brought. He should have thought of this earlier; pain had a way of bringing everything into focus.

His borderline crazed smile fell as he looked over to Kaiba, who was haltingly backing up from him. He frowned as he watched Kaiba fall back against the wall and and slide down, his features drawn into subdued shock. He pulled the shirt collar away from his neck, and the thief noticed how the muscles flared. Huh, that wasn't the response he was used to.

Kaiba's breathing was light and fast, his heart hammering in his chest. All of the years of self defence that had been ground into him had acted on their own accord, and now he just wanted to be away from what had grabbed at his neck tightly and invaded his space. He felt ill, from the rush of memories and fear, and from the intention that had surely been running through the other's head. Another wave of repulsion ran through him as he thought about how close their lips had been. 

The thief nursed his casted arm as he crawled over to Kaiba, coming to a stop when he reached his slightly bent, gangly legs. They were positioned to keep the world away, stretched far enough that Kaiba couldn't be easily reached, but bent enough to offer a barrier that completely flat legs couldn't.

He observed how Kaiba held his throat like he was choking, how his other hand was over his heart like he was trying to make sure it wouldn't burst. "That didn't go over as well as I thought it would," the thief said, sitting crossed leg in front of Kaiba. He still held his broken arm close, a funny sensation of tingling under the fiberglass.

"Oh, your arm," Kaiba muttered under his breath as he looked to the cast, immediately thinking of Bakura's well-being. He cursed as he realized he might have further injured him. A sinking feeling hit him in the chest as he thought about the pain and roughed up face Bakura was going to come back to.

"You've got a mean right hook," the thief continued, taking a moment to hold his jaw and laugh. "I didn't think you had it in you." If Kaiba had aimed just a little closer to his chin, he'd probably be out cold.

Kaiba took a few deeper breaths and crossed his arms to set yet another barrier between him and the thief. He glared forwards. He'd caused him to hurt Bakura, he was not amused.

Their informal staring match lasted some time, and it was the thief who eventually looked away and asked," What did I do wrong?"

"Were you expecting a novel or-"

Looking back with a nettled scowl, the thief clarified," I meant right now."

Kaiba looked away now, having been happier when he couldn't see the harsh eyes staring at him like he was a iresome mystery. Bakura may have been sleeping, but he would have gladly interrupted his slumber to talk to him instead right now. Bakura would understand.

"Oy, president, stop ignoring me."

Kaiba responded to this by pushing himself to his feet and beginning to walk away. "You have a chair now. I've helped you enough," he muttered as he walked away slowly.

"W-wait!" 

Kaiba stopped walking and crossed his arms, only looking back when he heard the shuffling of someone struggling to get to their feet. The thief was holding himself up against a wall and taking small steps forwards. He was as confident in his feet as he was typically about anything he did, but it was clearly misplaced and taking a lot of course corrections even with the wall as a guide.

He stopped as he got Kaiba's attention, and looked to the ground awkwardly as he drew in breath for a long bout of speech. "I didn't… I didn't mean to make you leave. I don't-" he had to swallow away the lump in his throat. The next part was hard to admit. "I don't want to be alone right now. Not until the painkillers wear off. Would you stay?"

Kaiba let out a derisive laugh, and asked," You really think I'll keep you company after the stunt you just pulled?"

Equally sarcastic to Kaiba, the thief quipped," I hardly call falling a stunt. I didn't even cartwheel."

Kaiba hummed unimpressed and continued his slow walk down the corridor.

"I tried to apologise, cut me some slack," he called out after Kaiba, cursing when he was still being ignored. Perhaps his apology being less a declaration of guilt and more an admittance to not wanting Kaiba's particular reaction was less than satisfactory. The thief tried running after, but the dizziness made him stop and slide down the wall to the ever supportive ground within seconds.

Apparently he wasn't nearly as graceful as he'd thought he'd been, because it was loud enough to draw Kaiba's attention. Kaiba stared back at him, an expectant gaze trained on him that the thief knew probably detailed what he wanted, but the thief couldn't make heads or tails of it. Between a closed up mess of a human who had a hard time expressing himself and an ancient spirit who'd forgotten his humanity and the empathy that came with it long ago, silence wasn't an effective means of communication for them.

"Would you stay? I won't try anything," the thief promised, bowing his head in embarrassment. It pained him, and not in the good way, to admit he needed the other, but if he was alone, anything could happen. He couldn't fend for himself like this. It wasn't like there was a whole lot to fear in Kaiba's fortified mansion, but he couldn't help but feel like someone might come for him with the stupor the drugs left him in.

Kaiba sighed exasperatedly like he was dealing with a child, and closed the distance between them, holding a hand out for the thief. "Why don't we get you back to the chair?"

The thief nodded and accepted the hand up, pouting tiredly as he got back up to his feet and was walked back. He sat down a lot easier with support from Kaiba. As Kaiba tried to pull back his hand, the thief tightened his grip and looked up to Kaiba with a tentative question on his lips.

"Hand holding is fine, I guess," Kaiba answered before the thief could put his question into words. He did worm his hand loose so that he could fix the angle of the hold to be more comfortable for relaxed holding rather than supporting weight though.

Even with drugs to blame, this was far more than the thief ever showed. He'd displayed weakness, asked emotional favors, and supposedly tried to apologize, though Kaiba wasn't really sure where that had been. There had to be more than just feeling ill from the side effects at work here. He was curious, and now held hostage, so he might as well ask. "So are you going to let me in on what this is all about?"

"No." He would take it to his grave.

"Well, I can't make you do anything you don't want to," Kaiba dismissed, awkwardly lowering himself to the floor so he could sit beside the thief. He didn't feel like standing for hours to come.

" _They_ could," the thief mumbled, shaking his head dismissively when Kaiba sent him a curious glance.

They sat in silence for quite a while, which was a welcome relief to both. Silence couldn't last though, not with how much was on both of their minds.

The thief eventually commented out of the blue," I hate this."

"Hate what?" Out of the myriad of less than pleasant things that had happened, the thief wasn't being very particular.

It took the thief a while to put it into words. He'd had a momentary aversion to speaking any further, but his worry seemed to drop away as he tried to focus on it. He might as well speak, he decided hazily. "I never used to remember so much; it was easier to be happy... I didn't feel so bad _all the time_." The last words were broken up with raspy breaths as the thief kept more tears at bay.

Kaiba felt the vice grip on his hand tighten. He thought about the thief's words, and more importantly, how relatable they were. "Your soul was ripped apart, wasn't it? The darkness cast out…" He too used to go day to day without feeling guilt. He'd been able to push away most of the pesky feelings he didn't want to deal with, like loneliness and grief.

The thief returned to being silent, which was all the answer Kaiba needed. He considered his words carefully as he continued," Happiness used to come easier, but it was different. It wasn't nearly as fulfilling, was it?" It wasn't really a question. He knew the answer. With that never ending anger that couldn't be quenched for anything, always coloring everything, happiness only came smugly and it always felt hollow. Kaiba remembered it well. A little softer, he assumed," Now you're going through all the things you ignored for so long, and it's overbearing."

"Half the time I don't even know what I'm feeling or why," the thief murmured, rubbing his thumb over Kaiba's hand subconsciously. "And when I do, I just want to forget."

"I know," Kaiba whispered, a pang of shared sentiment spiking through him. He glanced at their hands, but didn't mention the newest development. It would just embarrass the thief, which wouldn't be helpful now.

"Sometimes, it seems like it would be easier to go back to the way I was," Kaiba admitted. He sure hadn't had to deal with his feelings as much, or worry how he came off to others.

The thief humorously laughed. "This is where you go on to say some long recited speech about the merits of being like _this_ , though, right?"

"Isn't not always being angry enough?"

They both sat silently again. The thief contemplated what had been said the best he could, though he would definitely have to devote more time to it while he wasn't drugged up. Even now, he could admit to himself there was a certain relief to being able to just exist without that simmering rage that had dictated his every thought and action of before. Even if only occasional moments of calm clarity came to him, it did beat spending every second hurt and confused and vengeful. With a scowl, the thief reluctantly agreed," Maybe."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kaiba would probably love to hook Bakura up and get brain scans of him and the thief and try to find out more scientifically about the whole two souls, one body thing. 
> 
> This series does have an end goal, and all the plot points up to that point drafted out, but because I have so much I want to include, it's going to be a bit of a long haul, and probably beat out my expectations on word count! Just assuring you guys that this IS all headed somewhere ;)
> 
> New story begins June 22nd!


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